The saga of Captain Darcy
by Herrdegerre
Summary: A man eats a fruit that is supposedly only a myth, and pays for the consequences. Now a pirate, he and his friends must venture out into the world, avoiding bounty hunters and marines along the way.
1. I ate what?

**South Blue.**

**Desert Reef.**

Desert Reef, the island where Darcy had lived for all of his life, was much like the desert country of Alabarna, in terms of climate. The island is a crescent shape, and the entire inner region is desert, with only a couple of the hardiest plants managing to survive. On the coast, however, there is lush plant-life, and is the only island in the world where gumtrees, banksia bushes and other strange plants grow. It is also the only island where there is a relative abundance of Zoan Devil Fruits. And it is here, just on a trade route to the port city of Red Cove, that two men are talking about dark deeds.

"Come off it mate, it's not worth it!" Fellow swagman and friend, Bullock, tried to reason with his wayward friend since they were kids. His friend, Darcy Ayer, scowled at him. Both of them were on the road to Red Cove, and were arguing about his current idea.

Darcy was around six feet tall, and built well, especially around his lower body. His prematurely grey hair and skinny body often caused those people who looked at him to nickname him, "Human Kangaroo." His steel grey eyes often laughed with the best of them, but there was often a bar fight soon after that followed. He was wearing a scruffy and many-pocketed long coat with no sleeves, coloured a drab greyish white, along with a silver-coloured pair of pants that ended just below the knees. His feet were covered in a pair of steel-tipped brown boots; though it was hard to tell what colour it was underneath the red dust of the outback. His chest was bare, and his skin was quite tanned, which clashed interestingly with his hair colour. His ever-present white bucket hat shaded his eyes in the intense sunlight of the island.

Bullock, like his name, was huge, around 10 feet tall, and extremely heavily built. His square face and docile brown eyes made him look like a simpleton, and he kind of was. But he was a decent soul at heart, even if people didn't see it that often, and he was extremely practical. He wore a T-shirt with the word 'LUCKY' on it, as well as a pair of long trousers and heavy boots. A tattoo of a heart with 'MOM' on it was emblazoned on his left hand. A flintlock rifle was slung over his shoulder on a brown leather strap. His black hair was arranged into a scruffy mop down to his waist. His swag, along with Darcy's, was on the ground as they argued.

"What's not worth it? Some rich pom's coming through here and we're gonna mug him! Too easy, Bullock! Money, and quick, which is what we need with 'Tinhead' Ned after us to pay our debts." Bullock shook his head.

"It's still not right! Think about our morals!"  
"The guy's got loads of moolah, it won't be any skin off his back!"

"Well, I'm not taking part in this, then." Bullock sat down and folded his arms.

"Come on, mate!" But Bullock was having none of it. Finally, Darcy just gave up.

"Fine, I'll do it myself."  
"Hey! You can't do that, you'll be killed!"  
"Well, you gonna help me?" Bullock looked at him.

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?"  
"Sorry, but it's either rob the pom, or Tinhead kills us. Do you wanna live?"  
"We could just leave the island. Tinhead's a bushranger, and he doesn't know how to sail a ship."  
"Neither do we."  
"Yeah, you do! You're one of the best navigators I know!" Darcy nodded.

"True. However…" The sound of a horse-drawn cart drew nearer.

"We don't have a boat." With that, the impromptu bushrangers reluctantly sprang into action.

Lord Sydney, one of the nobles of Desert Reef, looked at the surprisingly ugly outback. Really, this wasn't civilised at all. The trees were ugly, dropping their bark however you pleased, and the dry scrub looked like it could shred even leather trousers, if you were mad enough to wear such things in the desert heat. His garden at home grew civilised and beautiful trees, and pretty flowers. As he turned away, a loud voice sounded.

"KANGA BLOW!" Suddenly, his hansom coach tipped on its side, as something extremely powerful struck the side, tipping it off balance. As he wondered what could have possibly done such an incredible blow, his bodyguard, Quill sprang into action, drawing one of the many short swords worn on his back that had gotten him such a name. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Quill cried out in pain and anger as a rifle bullet hit him square in the knee, crippling him. Finally, a young man wearing a bucket hat walked over to the window.

"This is a hold-up, you bloody pom."

The pom in front of him had a pasty complexion, probably from staying indoors all the damn time. He had such a weak chin that it would be amusing to see him in a boxing match- not that he enjoyed any boxing apart from kickboxing. His white hair was arranged into what looked like waves on his head, and his eyes were wide open with terror.

"P-P-P-"  
"Well, what is it?"  
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He shook his head at that.

"I don't want to kill you, I just want your money." The pom looked up, snot dribbling out of his nose.

"But I don't have any money on me." He looked around at the coach.

"Don't try that on me, you've gotta have tons of moolah if you've got a hansom, so cough up!" The pom just shook his head.

"W-Well, I s-spent all my on-hand money on a rare treasure. Here, I'll show you." The pom reached underneath his seat and pulled out a small box. He opened the lid and showed it to him.

The 'rare' treasure inside was what looked like a large cluster of small, bright green berries. Each of them had a swirling pattern, and the stem curled unusually. Pretty, but not exactly valuable.

"Is this it? You got ripped off big time, you bloody pom!" He snatched up the tiny fruit and looked at it.

"N-No, you don't understand! That's a rare Devil Fruit!"  
"Devil Fruit? You mean like the legends say?" Darcy scoffed at that.

"It's a Marsupial Zoan- an extremely rare Devil Fruit that only originates from this island. It has a market value of 200 million Beli." Darcy's eyes bugged out.  
"TWO HUNDRED MILLION!"

"Yes, approximately."  
"Well, I'm sorry, but this isn't gonna help us. You see, Tinhead Ned is after us to pay off some gambling debts, and a little fruit like this isn't gonna help us out much. Besides, Devil Fruits are a legend. You really got conned, pom." So saying this, he plucked the tiny fruits off the stem and threw them in his mouth, chewing them slightly. The foul taste caused him to instinctively spit out some of them, but the majority slid down his throat. He gagged, trying to get them to come up.

"W-what is this, poison?" He grabbed the pom by the collar.

"No, it's a Devil Fruit- the Bukuro Bukuro no mi-Model: Red Kangaroo. You have just gained the ability to turn into a kangaroo."  
"Come off it ya bloody pom! I didn't eat all of it!"  
"You only need to eat one part." Darcy's eyes, again, bugged out.

"You-you-"

"Well, young man, you're stuck with it now."  
"Well, how do I get rid of it then?!"  
"You have to die to get rid of your power." Darcy briefly considered strangling the pom, but thought better of it. He moodily kicked a pebble, and only got a small sense of satisfaction when it smashed through a tree like a bullet.

"Well, great. I don't even know how this is supposed to work, and now Tinhead's gonna cook us for breakfast."  
Bullock poked his head out of the trees.

"I told you this was a bad idea from the start. Didn't I?"  
"AW, SHUT UP!"

* * *

**Authors note:  
OC captain in the makings over here. Desert Reef is based off Australia. See what else you can pick up.**

**Reviews are loved.**


	2. We don't need no stinkin' provisions

**The Saga of Captain Darcy: Coming the Raw Prawn.**

Red Cove. The beautiful port city of Desert Reef. Its buildings are a far cry form the usual buildings of the towns closer to the centre of the island- rather than bare wood and tin roofs, the buildings here are made of stout brick and whitewashed walls. But despite this aura of respectability, there are still considerable dangers in this town- bush rangers, conmen and pirates all congregate to this port, one of the very few islands in the sea that has no affiliation with the world government, tolerated only because of its unique Devil Fruits and wildlife. Currently, pirates view this as a safe haven outside of the Grand Line, where the Marines also congregate. Marines, too, have often seen this as a free port. Both pirates and marines try to ignore each other, as this is the only place in the world where there is no such thing as justice. Lawless yet prosperous, Red Cove is a city of wonders, in an even more mysterious island.

Darcy and Bullock trudged, dejectedly through the streets, knowing that their mysterious debt collector was expecting them soon. Darcy, earlier, had swallowed a rare and priceless artefact without knowing about it, thinking it was a myth. His inability to swim soon proved the authenticity of the claims of the noble they had tried to rob. They had managed to scrape together some money, but it wasn't going to be enough. The only thing they could do was beg for the mercy of Tinplate Ned, and they both knew how futile that would be.

"We're so dead…"  
"Don't say that."  
"But we are! When he hears about how we don't have his money, he's gonna rip us apart! We're mincemeat!"  
"We're not. I'll think of something." Bullock hit him on the head.

"IT'S THANKS TO YOU THAT WE'RE IN THIS SITUATION!"

_Two weeks earlier…_

_Darcy was grinning like a loon as he threw his cards down. "Full house!" The other gamblers around him groaned, pushing their piles of money towards him. He grabbed his beer mug and banged it for a refill._

"_YEAH! I'M GONNA BREAK THE BANK TONIGHT!" As he cheered, a low rumble of a voice spoke out._

"_You're an impetuous little kangaroo, aren't you?"  
"WHO YOU CALLI-" The words died in his throat as he saw who insulted him like that._

_Tinplate Ned. The legendary bushranger, who had a bounty of 5 million Beli. He stood at 12 feet tall, and his legendary tin armour, which had protected him from bullets and swords, was worn in full, except for the helmet. His huge beard hung down to his waist, and his beetle-black eyes looked down at this little man in amusement. _

"_Well, little kangaroo? You wanna play with the big boys?" Normally, Darcy would have backed off, but now, self-confidence boosted by drink and his luck, decided to get ballsier.  
"Yeah, I'm gonna beat you. Hell, I'll beat you so easily, I'll pay your bounty if I lose this next hand." The crowd sucked in a breath at that. _

"_This little kangaroo's gonna give the boss 5 million if he loses? That's rich!" In response, Darcy threw his beer mug at the offender, knocking him out._

"_Any other smart alecs here? I'll take on all of you wankers!" Bullock hurried over to him._

"_Darcy, we're getting out of here. You've had too much to drink."  
"Nah, m' gonna win. You can count on me." Darcy grinned drunkenly at Bullock, and Bullock could tell that he wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon. With a sigh, he looked at him_

"_Alright. But you've got to win."_

"And you lost the next hand, and now we're gotta pay five million we don't even have!" Bullock was hysterical at this point. Darcy waved a hand.  
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Bullock was still sceptical.

"And what's that?" Darcy grinned at him.

"We're gonna run."

The docks of Red Cove were full of ships. Darcy and Bullock wove through the throngs, looking for a small boat, so that they could run away. Eventually, they found a small boat. It was made of grey-painted wood, and was just small enough that two people could sail it.

"Awesome, we can sail in this!" Darcy threw his swag aboard, careful not to throw it into the water. Bullock did the same.

"Well, if it isn't the little kangaroo and his dim-witted friend. Trying to run away? I thought you had more cajones then that." Gulping, Bullock turned around. Tinhead Ned, and the whole of his gang were waiting behind them. Darcy stiffened at Tinhead's casual insult.

"Who's calling me a kangaroo?" Though his voice wasn't loud, Bullock could tell his friend was pissed off.

"Mate, don't do it." Ignoring him, Darcy strode out to face his foe. Tinhead looked at him.

"Well, looks like you've come to take it like a man then. You obviously don't have the money, so I'm gonna show you what happens when you mess with me and welch on a bet." Darcy just looked at him.

"You're going to regret those words, big boy. I may be a kangaroo, but you're a moron. After saying this, he casually dodged Tinheads furious swipe with his sword, flipped onto his hands and kicked him in the groin. Tinhead's eyes bulged out of his armour, and he fell to the ground, whimpering and clutching his groin. Darcy then flipped back onto his feet and kicked him in the groin again, eliciting another whimper from Tinhead. Bullock couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could his gang.

"HE-HE HURT BOSS TINHEAD!"

"Y-you bastard… you fight dirty…" He pulled out his flintlock and pointed it at his head shakily from pain. Darcy's response was simply to jump up into the air and kick it out of his hand before he could react. As Ned gasped at this incredible display of strength, Darcy flipped into a handstand and swung the heel of his foot forwards, smashing into his face and crumpling his armour.

"KANGA IMPACT!" The huge impact that resulted from his kick crumpled the helmet, and sent him flying through the nearest wall.

Now free, Darcy glared at the bandits.

"Beat it. I'm not in the mood." The bandits, terrified that their leader had been so easily beaten, fled. Darcy turned to Bullock.

"W-When did you get so strong? He was five million Beli… That's impossible." Darcy looked down.

"The truth is… this whole two weeks, I've been training my leg strength, in order to defeat him. I only resorted to robbery because I didn't think I was strong enough to beat him." Darcy looked upwards.

"Guess I was underestimating him a little. Well, let's get out of here."  
"What?" Darcy gave him a look.

"The police are probably after us for robbing that rich pom, so let's skedaddle!"  
"B-But… You didn't tell me anything like that!" Darcy looked at him

"Well, I'm telling you now, so let's run." With that, he jumped into the boat and motioned for him to come. Bullock stared at him, before sighing and jumping in. Darcy grinned.

"Alright! We've probably got a bounty on our heads as I speak!" Bullock hit him again.

"I DON'T WANT A BOUNTY ON MY HEAD! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"  
"You shot that guy with all the swords on his back, didn't you?" Bullock glared at his friend, then sighed; he'd had enough.

"So we're pirates. What should we call ourselves then?" Darcy put his hand on his chin, obviously thinking about it. Eventually, he came up with a name.

"Okay! Based off this boat, we'll be called… The Grey Leaf pirates!" Bullock looked at him.

"Not bad. Now, where the hell are we going?" Darcy looked at him with a frozen half-smile.

"You don't know, do you?" For answer, Darcy dove into the cabin, where Bullock could hear the sounds of clutter and dropping objects. Eventually, he pulled out a map and compass.  
"Okay, we left Red Cove, so the nearest Island is… THERE!" He pointed at a long island, almost shaped like a comma. Bullock squinted at it, trying to read the name, which had almost faded away from the weather.

"The Volcano Paradise!" Bullock's eyes popped out.

"VOLCANO PARADISE! You mean the chain island with a MARINE BASE and a horde of cannibals?" Darcy just looked ahead, jutting his chin out in a masculine fashion.

"We're going there to prove that we're fearless and strong, because we are!" Bullock glared at him. He shrugged sheepishly. "And, well, we didn't bring much food, so we have no choice but to restock there." Bullock looked through the ship frantically. Sure enough, their only provisions were what they had brought with them in their swags. He looked at the sky and screamed.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Darcy's laughter echoed through the sea as they sailed for Volcano Paradise, one of the most dangerous islands in the South Blue.


	3. Get your names back!

Darcy squinted at his friend, Bullock. The huge man was sleeping in his swag, dead to the world. That was good for what he was about to do. Making sure that his companion really was asleep, he silently slid out of his swag and tiptoed out of the cabin silently. He walked over to the wheel and made a couple of small adjustments, making sure that they were on course. Then, he headed onto the deck of their boat. Once there, he inhaled the salty air. It wasn't to his or Bullock's liking, but it would suffice. Bullock was technically the first mate, and he was pretty strong, but he was a sniper, not a close-quarters fighter like himself. Oh sure, he could fight if he had to, but he wasn't fast or strong enough to last against really strong people. The problem he had was that he would have to fight strong people, and he didn't know if he was strong enough.

"Man, Bullock… we're in this together. I've gotta figure out how to do this." So saying, he focused hard.

"Okay. TRANSFORM!" No reaction. He scowled at this failure.  
"Come on, I've gotta… TRANSFORM!" Still no reaction. This was gonna be a long night.

"Damn it. I'll get this yet."

When Darcy awoke, it was to Bullock shaking him awake. He seemed stressed out.

"DARCY! WE"RE AT A PORT!"  
"Whuh? Already?" Bullock nodded.

"There were some rough winds last night, or something, because now we're there much faster than you estimated."

"We've only been sailing for a couple of days. We're making good time, aren't we?" Darcy, personally, was feeling pretty good about himself. He hummed cheerfully as he ate his chunk of mutton and bread. Bullock looked at him strangely.

"You're pretty cheerful today. Good dreams?"  
"I think I've got this transforming thing down. Still a little rusty, but I can at least transform." Bullock looked at him with wide eyes.

"WHAT?!" Darcy looked at him.

"Well, mate, I've had to stay up all night, trying to figure out how to activate my powers. I can now transform, so now I'm working on the speed of the transformation."  
"You could have done this during the day. You're all tired out! That explains why you've been so tired." Bullock looked hurt.

"You should have told me!"

Before Darcy could answer, the sea started getting choppy. Both of them looked at one another, before scrambling to react. Darcy grabbed the steering wheel and heaved, trying to keep them on course, while Bullock raised the sails to take advantage of the rough winds. When they settled, the argument had been forgotten.

"Volcano Paradise…" The beautiful but deadly island, where tribes of ferocious cannibals still resided, occasionally allying with the Marines to hunt down pirates. For whatever reason, they could sail quite well, even though they only fished for drowning humans. Darcy and Bullock sailed anxiously through to the port, where they tied up the boat and walked through the town. Looking around, Bullock and Darcy were full of wonders at the beauty of the place. Darcy, in particular, soon found what he was looking for.

"Oh, a bar." As Bullock looked at him in horror, eyes bulging and mouth opened, he calmly walked in.

"I have a thirst you wouldn't believe."  
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" No use, Darcy had just walked inside. Bullock sighed.

"Well, time to get supplies, I guess." He glanced around, on the lookout for marines. Shrugging, he found what he was looking for- a weapon shop with guns. He quickly walked in that direction, already planning what he'd buy. First, get some fruit, preserved meat and bread. Then, bullets and gunpowder.

Darcy, meanwhile, was just having a quiet drink. Scratching himself, he looked over at the local pool table. Some disreputable men had drawn up chair and were playing cards. Smiling, he walked over and asked to be dealt in. The men grinned at him, and he got his hand. As he sat down, he noticed that many of them looked a bit odd. The man next to him, a swarthy looking fellow with dark skin and a pair of sunglasses, was chewing on a toothpick. He was wearing a pair of pale yellow swabs, with sandals. A white shirt with the sleeves torn off was left open, exposing a necklace made of what looked like crocodile teeth. He turned to him.

"Whatchoo lookin' at, huh?" Darcy raised his hands defensively and turned back to the game and his hand.

Bullock had just finished buying a couple of lemons when he heard the crashes. Hurrying over, he saw that it was the same bar that Darcy had entered. He smacked himself in the face and groaned.  
"Not again…"

Darcy was now having the time of his life. When he'd won the first couple of hands, the man next to him had started getting angrier and angrier. When he won for the fourth time in a row, he'd pulled out a knife and started threatening him, demanding he stop cheating. Just as things were about to get interesting, someone threw a beer mug at his accuser, who responded by throwing his knife in the general direction. This hit the hand of a drunkard with a long beard and unusually large ears, and he responded by howling and punching the man next to him in pain. And before he could gather his winnings, the whole bar had forgotten about him in favour of beating the others up. Giggling, he scooped up his money and ran for the window, kicking anyone who got in his way.

As he crashed through the window, Bullock stared at him- glass-covered, slightly stained with beer and carrying around five hundred Beli. He looked at Bullock. Bullock just shook his head.

"What did you do."  
"I was winning, then this guy gets the wrong idea, then someone throws a beer mug at him, and then a barfight erupted, so I got the money and ran." He giggled, then turned serious again.

"We've gotta run, that guy may have seen me." No sooner than he said this then the guy walked out of the building, unharmed and murderous. He looked at Darcy, then at the stolen money. He spat the toothpick out and charged. Before he could even hit him, however, an impetuous voice rang out.  
"STOP THAT!" The voice had an interesting effect on the man. He shivered, then turned around, resignedly.

The man behind him was around five foot nothing in height, and wore a white suit, with an aquamarine shirt underneath, with a white tie. His brown hair, bizarrely, was arranged into a pompadour that stuck out around a foot in front of him. His build was skinny, and he had an extremely weak chin. A rapier was slung on his left side. He didn't look remotely dangerous at all. But the man, who had previously wanted to kill him, now just backed down, but even Bullock could see that this man only stopped attacking them because that man had some kind of hold over him. Smiling at him, the man then turned to Darcy.

"Causing a little bit of a ruckus aren't we, hmm?" He held out his hand. Darcy just looked at it.

"What? You want me to shake it or something?" The man looked at him in fury.

"SILENCE! YOU'RE TALKING TO LORD QUINCY FRANKLIN, MARINE CAPTAIN OF THIS BASE! NOW HAND OVER YOUR ILL-GOTTEN GAINS!"

Darcy looked at this pom in surprise. This little weakling was a Marine Captain? Yeah, right. And he wanted him to give him his money? No way.

"Man, these Marines are weak, aren't they?" He turned to Bullock, who was shaking a little. He saw the pom's face turn red.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED, DRAWN, AND QUARTERED!" Darcy was pretty amazed that he could yell even louder. He yawned.

"That's a bit much for causing a little bit of noise. Calm down, you're about to bust a vein." He did look like he was going to explode. Finally, he snapped, and charged at him, holding his rapier in front of him like an amateur. Grinning, Darcy jumped up into the air, then span around and swung his legs down, preparing to hit the pom's head…

Only for the swarthy man to block him coming down. He had to admit, that was pretty impressed by that. This guy was pretty strong.

"I'm sorry, but you can't attack him." He grinned at the guy who blocked him.

"Hey, what's your name, Toothpick guy?" In response, the guy just knocked him off.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you my name." He tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" He didn't respond, instead attacking him again, driving him off. The Marine Captain laughed, then started charging at Bullock, who pulled out his rifle and aimed it at him.

" I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not letting you do what you want to me!" He fired the rifle. The Captain twisted out of the way, but the bullet nearly hit him. However, the toothpick man swung him out of the way. Darcy stared at him.

"Why did you…" He didn't respond, instead stabbing at him with his knife. Darcy dodged.

"Why? Why save him?" The man looked down.

"He has my name. He stole it" As Darcy stared at him, he pressed the attack.

Bullock, meanwhile, was trying to avoid the inexperienced swipes of his opponent, while trying to get some range.

_Damn it! He just had to get within my range. If I could just retreat, then I could easily take him out. _Unfortunately, Captain Quincy knew this, and pressed the attack. However inexpert his swipes were, they still did some damage. Eventually, he got his rifle and started clubbing him, trying to get him down.

"Get him!" The man broke away and blocked him, seemingly not in control of his body. Bullock stared at him, before he was cut across the chest by his knife. As he fell down, Darcy stared at his friend in shock.

"BULLOCK!" As Darcy charged the Captain, he brushed himself off.

"Stop him." Again, the man moved as if he was a puppet on strings, blocking him with crossed forearms.

"How is he doing that?" The Captain laughed, while he struggled to get past the man. He slowly pulled out a pistol.

"You're dead, criminal scum. I ate the Namae Namae no mi. I am a name human! Now, face your fate!"


	4. People's power only helps

Darcy just stared at him. What was up with this guy?

"Namae Namae no mi? What the hell is that?" Captain Franklin fell over.

"FOOL! I JUST TOLD YOU! ARE YOU JUST A STUPID COMMONER?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Well, I'll explain to your stupid face."  
"Uh huh." While he monologue, he started to prepare his strongest attack.

"Well, the Namae Namae no mi allows me to steal the name of anyone who tells me their name. From then, I can give an emphatic order, and they have to do it! Brilliant, isn't it?"  
"Yeah, sounds pretty good."  
"Now, I managed to get an entire tribe of the savages on this godforsaken island and managed to steal their names. Then, I forbade them to speak about their former names with anyone! That's why I'm the greatest Marine to ever live. And this post is only the beginning!" He started to rave.

"First, I'll serve the minimum time that I have to spend in this posting, then I can work my way up to the post of Vice Admiral! I have the names of some higher ups, and they'll see me promoted or else I'll order them to slit their throats. Then, I'll become an Admiral, and then… I'll ascend to the status of Tenryuubito!"  
"Tenryuubito? Sounds lofty enough." _Just a little more time… Keep talking, stupid pom._

"The Tenryuubito are the only people allowed to live in Mariejoes, the Holy Land! And once I become a Tenryuubito, then I'll rule the world!" The guard saw what Darcy was doing and decided to help him out.

"It's all true what he says- I don't remember my name, no matter how hard I try. No-one else can either. I know their names, but I can't speak them." Quincy waved at him.

"You heard it from the guard himself! Since they can't tell anyone else their names, they can't free themselves from my Devil Fruit at all! Genius, no?" Darcy nodded.

"Well, you're not strong enough to even become a Captain on your own merit, so you just rely on others power? Unforgiveable." When Quincy looked at the leg, his eyes bulged. The leg's muscles were faintly glowing, and he could swear the muscles were larger.

"W-What is that?" Darcy grinned.

"Thanks for giving me the time to charge this. No matter what guard you try to use, this'll hit you." As he started to run at Quincy, he panicked.

"SAVE ME!" The man got in front of him.

"Fool. You can't knock me down. I'm the strongest warrior for ten generations." Darcy just grinned, and kept charging.

Quincy smirked. The meathead in front of him would protect him from all harm.

_Once he steps in front of something, he can't be moved at all. That stupid commoner is just going to fail._

The commoner then jumped forwards, glowing leg in front of him.

"KANGA…"

Darcy surged forwards, at this bodyguard who didn't even bother trying to fight.

"KANGA…" He kicked the man once, then again, then again. He withstood the first kick, but he coughed up blood on the second kick, and his ribs snapped and his legs buckled on the third, most powerful kick. Each time, he was pushed back slightly.

"TRIPLE IMPACT!" The guy was beaten and bloody, and crashed into Quincy at incredible speeds, sending them across the streets. Darcy went down on one knee, holding his leg.

"Owowowowowowowowowow…" That attack had taken a lot of energy, and it hurt incredibly. Sweat beaded on his head as he stood up.

"Well, time to take out the trash."

When Quincy awoke, it was to the two commoners talking to one another. He tried to scream out an order, but the gag in his mouth prevented him from issuing any orders.

"Oh, he's awake." From there, the commoner with a gun came up and pointed his rifle at his head. He went cold with fear, and he felt a small trickle of liquid in his pants.

Darcy looked at the filthy pom as he wet himself in fear. He continued talking.

"Now, listen here. You're going to tell this man his name. If you so much as try to give an order, Bullock'll shoot you in the head. Clear?" Their captive frantically nodded. He went over, and untied the gag.

"YOUR NAME IS CONDO! Oh god, don't kill me! I've got so much to give…" The newly named 'Condo' straightened up. "I must thank you for this. Thank you… for freeing my tribe from this man."

_One year ago…_

_Condo looked at the Captain who had gone over to him. He looked weak, but that was probably some sort of façade. His smile was friendly enough. His tribe's village was made up of wood and leaves from the jungle, and their crops were growing nicely._

"_Well, people, I've come to you to offer you an alliance with the Navy! What do you say to that, huh?" His tribe looked around, muttering. He continued._

"_We'll not interfere with you and give you weapons, if you help us hunt down pirates. Anyone who wants to ally with us, tell me your name, and I'll write it down!" The muttering intensified. Finally, Condo walked forwards._

"_My name is Condo. I'll help you hunt down these criminals." The Captain beamed._

"_Excellent!" He shook hands, and Condo could feel something happen.  
"Anyone else?"_

"We trusted you…" He stepped forwards, and Darcy moved to hold his arms back, struggling against his strength.

_The men were straining to move the huge ship. Without the proper equipment, this huge ship was nearly impossible to move, but they didn't even have the right equipment. The Captain had spent the money on an expensive sword he could barely use._

"_Move it, you weaklings!" The Captain stood there, cracking a whip, as if he needed it._

"_Or else I'll order you to cut off the tips of your fingers!"_

"AND YOU BETRAYED THAT TRUST!"

"_You know, commoner…" Condo panted, trying to attack. Every time he tried, he was ordered to miss._

"_Hit yourself. Hard."  
As if controlled by some sort of god, his hands hit himself in the face, and continued beating on him. As he kept beating himself up, Quincy continued._

"_You're a useless weakling. No matter how hard you try, it's I who will always win. Do you know why?" Condo didn't respond, barely conscious, arms slowing._

"_It's because you're nothing more than a piece of filthy…" His hands raised themselves in the air for a final strike._

"_Uneducated…" They started to descend._

"_Trash." That attack knocked him out._

Bullock waved his arms, trying to calm him down.

"Oi! If you kill him now, then your tribe might still be enslaved!" Condo had to calm down at that.

"No worry about that. I'll tell them their names." Quincy looked horrified.

"CONDO! I ORDER YOU TO KILL THESE MEN!" Condo looked at him.

"You have no hold on me." With that, he went to the barracks. Darcy looked in his pockets.

"Well, well, look what we got here…" Bullock looked at the map he'd filched.

"What's that?" Darcy grinned at him.

"It's a Marine map of the Grand Line. We're so going there." Bullock started gasping.

"The Grand Line? The legendary sea that only experienced seamen can navigate?" Darcy nodded.

"Yeah, that's right." He paused, considering.

"Of course, we'll need a strong crew to help us out. You're a sniper, not a close range fighter. You got injured by that moron!" Bullock turned red at that.  
"T-THAT'S HARSH!" Darcy laughed at him, then shouldered his pack.

"OI, CONDO!" Condo turned around.

"Wanna join my crew? We could use a strong guy like you." Condo shook his head.

"Sorry, but my tribe needs me. Maybe you could find someone stronger than me."  
"I doubt it! You're still walking around after Kanga Triple Impact. That attack can destroy huge boulders, so you're stronger than a boulder." Bullock sighed.

"Well, we're gonna die if we stay here at a Navy base, so let's run away. I got the food and ammo, so let's get on board the ship." As they ran back to the port, Captain Quincy yelled after them

"I'LL SEE YOU ARRESTED! YOU'LL HAVE A BOUNTY SO HIGH, EVEN THE YONKO WOULDN'T TAKE YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE DEAD, BOTH OF YOU!" As he writhed and screamed, a tapping foot was heard. He spun his head around.

The entire tribe of savages was there, even the children. All of them were carrying weapons, and Condo was there at the front, dagger at the ready.

"We're not gonna let you do that, are we?" Quincy's eyes bulged. This was not good.

"DON'T YOU DARE ATTACK ME, YOU FILTHY COMMONERS!" The 'commoners' swarmed towards him, and started to beat him up.

"PULVERISE HIM!"  
"COOK HIM ALIVE!"  
"CUT HIS HANDS OFF!"

Darcy and Bullock waved at the tribe of people now beating up that pathetic weakling who called himself a captain.

"Man, I'm glad I'm not him." Darcy nodded.

"He had it coming." Walking over to the helm, he grabbed the wheel.

"Now, on to the next island!" Bullock nodded.

"Bring it on, world! We'll take whatever you throw at us!" With that, the two friends sailed on, ready and waiting for the challenges of the world.


	5. Kids get lost easily

Darcy squinted at Bullock, who was doing something weird to their grog with the lemons he'd bought.

"Hey, Bullock. What's up with the lemons?" Bullock turned to him.

"Well, fruit doesn't keep well on the sea without a fridge, so I'm squeezing these lemons to make sure that we've got enough Vitamin C. It'll keep us healthy and strong." Darcy shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever." He started lifting his legs. Each leg had a huge weight on the end. Bullock sighed.

"You know, you really shouldn't be doing that. What if you tear something? Then what'll you do?"  
"I won't tear anything. I've got ligaments as strong as steel. So no worries."  
"Yeah, no worries. Like against that Paramecia guy." Darcy turned.

"Paramecia?" Bullock's eyes drooped.

"You mean you don't remember any details about the Devil Fruits in the legends?" Darcy shrugged, again. Putting his leg weights down, he started exercising his arms.

"No, I only really remember that they're supposedly enchanted by the Sea Devils and you can't swim." Bullock pulled his fishing rod out and started talking while he put the bait on.

"Well, Devil fruits come in three categories. There's Logia- I think that allows you to turn into elements or something like that- those're really rare though. Then there's Zoan- that's what you ate." Darcy's mouth tightened and he exercised a bit more viciously. Bullock continued obliviously, watching the line for a fish that might take the bait.

"It lets you turn into the animal type it is, but you don't know until you try to transform. They're more common than the Logia. And finally, there's Paramecia. That's…" Bullock scratched his chin.

"Actually, the only thing that I know is that Paramecia users are considered even more freakish than other users except for the Zoan type. They get some really weird powers, some of them are comparable to the Logia class, like the Gura Gura no mi. They're also the most common." Darcy tilted his head.

"So, these Paramecia sound pretty weird. I don't really want that kind of power." Bullock smacked him on the head.

"YOU CAN'T EAT ANY MORE YOURSELF!" Darcy looked at him.

"What do you mean?"  
"People who eat more than one Devil Fruit die by exploding!" Darcy's eyes bugged and his jaw dropped.

"WHAT?! THAT SUCKS!" Bullock stared at him.

"You weren't thinking about eating another Devil Fruit, were you?" Darcy looked away.

"Well, I was thinking about those Logia types…" Bullock hit him.

"LOGIA ARE WAY TOO RARE!"

Just as they were about to argue, Bullock got something on his line.

"Wow, I got a bite!" Darcy cheered. Now they would get some meat! Maybe they'd caught a whale or something.

"Quick, reel it in!" Bullock tried to pull it in, but the fish was really big.

"Oh, he's a tough one, but I'll get him yet!" Bullock's eyes gleamed as his arms strained. Darcy stepped back, watching in awe.  
"Take this, fish. My strongest fishing technique…" He started to haul up.

"FISHING… PULLUP!" He hauled the fishing rod up, revealing…

"Huh? We caught a human? Is he an idiot or something?"  
Bullock squinted at his catch. It only looked marginally like a human, in that it was about seven feet long and bipedal.

It had red and yellow striped skin, with a lot of long streamer like fins along its back and forearms. It had what looked like webbed hands and feet, and it was wearing a pair of black shorts with a pink and white floral pattern. Suddenly, it jumped up, revealing a face with narrow orange eyes, a short nose and thick lips. Its face was tattooed along the left side with a black floral pattern.

"WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU, STICKING A HOOK DOWN IN THE SEA!" Bullock's eyes stuck out a full two inches from his skull.

"ARRRGH! THE FISH THING TALKED!" The 'fish thing' looked offended, and pulled the hook out of its mouth quickly.

"I'm not a fish thing! I'm a full-blooded Fishman!" Bullock and Darcy looked at him.

"Fishman?" They asked in unison. The fishman fell down at this statement. When he got back up, he just looked at them.

"You don't know what fishmen are? You guys must really be ignorant." Bullock stroked his chin.  
"Well, I don't really know anything about fishmen, but I know about fish. Are you a lionfish?" The fishman responded by nodding. "Yes, I'm a red lion fishman. My name's Mark, pleased to meetcha!" His face suddenly contorted a little and he suddenly facepalmed.

"WAIT, WHY AM I BEING SO POLITE?!" Darcy and Bullock looked between each other as their guest got into a fighting stance that looked vaguely like a karate stance, with one hand out in front and the other in his bag.

"YOU GUYS STUCK A FISHING HOOK IN MY MOUTH! APOLOGISE!" Bullock glared at him.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOOK THE BAIT, SO DON'T BLAME ME!" Darcy sweatdropped and raised his hands.

"Whoa, calm down. We didn't do anything to you. Just calm down and take a deep breath." Mark looked at him.

"A kangaroo-man?" Darcy's eyes shrunk to pinpricks.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Bullock lifted his friend in the air as he writhed, staring at the shocked Mark. "Sorry, he does that."

"You mean he tries to kill people? Your friend is weird."  
"YOU SAY THAT TO ME AGAIN!"

It was later, and they were getting on quite well. After Darcy had calmed down himself, they'd agreed to have something to eat, hacking off lumps of mutton and bits of bread.

"So your home island is nearby?" Mark nodded, chewing on a lump of mutton.

"Yeah! It's called Plaque Beach! It's beautiful!" Darcy looked at the map.

"Plaque Beach, Plaque Beach… Ah, here it is." Bullock squinted at the island. It was an island in the shape of a giant molar, with a port town in the centre of the root.

"Wow, it looks like a tooth." Mark nodded.

"It's called Plaque Beach because the beaches around it would make it look like a yellow tooth. Cool, huh? Anyway, I should take you there." Darcy scratched himself.

"So, any Marines there?" Mark shook his head.

"No, no marines. But we've got a police force."  
"That's good to hear. We'll be on our best behaviour. Won't we, Captain?" Bullock shot Darcy a meaningful look, who at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Well, I'm not a criminal. I'm a respectable person. Now," his eyes seemed to turn into Beli signs, "Where is the nearest pub?" Mark scratched his chin.

"Well, there's the Cavern, but that's more of a nightclub if anything."  
"You people have a nightclub? That's pretty good." Darcy looked at him.

"Hey, you want a job on here? We could use a guy like you." Mark shook his head.

"Nah, thanks for the offer, but I've got a job I've already got to return to." Darcy was interested.

"Really? What kind of job?" Mark looked away, abashed.

"Well, I work with Dials. You know about Dials?" They shook their heads. He pulled out a seashell and offered it to Darcy.

"What do I do with this?"  
"This is a Tone Dial. Speak into it and press the top of the shell." Darcy frowned.

"Bullock's too tall." So saying, he pushed the top of the shell while Bullock looked on.

"_Bullock's too tall." _

Darcy dropped the shell in shock and raised his hands above his head.

"THE SHELL'S COMPLAINING ABOUT BULLOCK!"  
"AND IN YOUR VOICE!" As they both freaked out, Mark just shook his head.

"Dials are mysterious objects that fall from the skies. There are some other Dials that can store other things- like smells and physical force, for instance. They can even store light within them. No-one really knows how they work." Bullock nodded in understanding.

"Oh, so it's like Devil Fruits then."

"MAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Devil Fruits don't exist, don't be ridiculous." Bullock and Darcy traded looks, and decided to remain silent.

"Well, how far are we from your island?" Mark's face just froze.

"… you're lost, aren't you?" Mark nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll get you there. Just give us about a week." Mark smiled gratefully.

"Thanks for that. I really mean it. As repayment…" He pulled out another Dial.

"How about this Flavour Dial? It'll help out with the smell."

"HEY! THERE'S NO SMELL!" Mark simply pressed the top of the Dial, and the pleasant smell of lavender came out, suffusing the room with its scent.

"So nice…" they all said in unison. Darcy turned to Mark with a sigh.

"Any more of those things?" Mark just nodded. "One or two."

"Good. We can really use those around the ship." Darcy and Bullock got up.

"No worries, mate, just keep calm and help us out a bit."  
"How can I help you guys out?"  
"Well, get the fishing rod and get us some fish to eat." Mark nodded, picking up the rod and leaving the room. When he left, Bullock turned to him.

"His hand was in the bag when he was about to fight. The same bag with the Dial-things." Darcy nodded.

"Given what he was talking about, maybe he adapted some Dials for fighting or something."  
"Yeah, about that… I think he might be a tinkerer."  
"How could you tell from just that?"

"His hands. They've got a lot of callouses around the fingertips, which is a bit odd for a diver. He's definitely got some experience with gadgets." Darcy frowned.

"The stance was a bit odd, too. High centre of gravity, which is bad in a fighter, except if you're a brawler. He's got some skills, but he's probably had no formal martial arts training at all. The Dials might turn that around, though."  
"Can we-"  
"Yes, he seems trustworthy enough. Let's keep him aboard, then drop him off, get supplies. Oh, and ask if he wants to join our crew." Bullock raised an eyebrow.

"You want a kid like that on board?" Darcy turned away.

"If he gets lost that easily, it's an offence to my abilities as a navigator not to have him aboard." He turned, and there was a glint in his eye.

"Besides, I like a challenge."


End file.
